Paradise...lost?

Hello All!
My journey has begun! It has proven thus far to be far different than anything I imagined. It all began on friday, january 9th, boarding a plane at LAX after a wonderful two weeks spent with my lover, Michelle. On sunday at 10:00am, after over 21 hours of flying and practically no sleep, I finally arrived in Chennai, India, where I would spend one day before boarding a plane bound for Port Blair, the capitol city of the Andaman Islands. Chennai proved to be a difficult and trying experience. Upon getting off the plane, while in line to go through immigration, I was overwhelmed with a sense of lonliness unlike anything I've ever experienced. I'm no sissy-man, but I felt like curling up on the airport floor and crying my way back to the states. Instead, I pulled through and got a cab, headed for the Hotel Himalaya, a "mid-range" hotel. Apparently, "mid-range" in India means a room with no hot water, walls stained brown and literally falling apart, and infested with mosquitos. All I was given was a sheet to put over my head to ward off the bugs during sleep. I thanked the heavens for my malaria pills. I laid down on my stiff bed and wondered why the hell I'd come. Instead of dwelling on my lonliness, I got up to take a walk. The streets were rather small and unmarked, with alleys winding this way and that, so I chose to walk a straight line so as not to get lost. On this short stroll, I was hassled by numerous shop owners and taxi drivers, who were relentless in their pursuit for my rupees, and was grabbed and held on to by a begger who accused me of "not wanting to help." Great...this was making me feel a lot better. The poverty in this city was 10 times worse than anything I saw during my summer in Mexico. Concrete rubble, trash and human feces littered the streets. I found a little internet cafe and e-mailed Michelle and my folks, but I lacked the energy and spirit to write anything more. I fell asleep at 3 in the afternoon and slept until 2:30am, when I left to catch my 5:45 plane for Port Blair. The poverty here in Port Blair is not much better, but is on a much smaller scale and (most) the people are proving to be a lot more friendly. After bouncing between full hotels, I found one that would give me a room for one night. I then made my way down to the Pheonix Bay Jetty to try to get a ferry ticket for Little Andaman Island-the surf spot. After being pushed around by locals for an hour the office closed and I was left with no ticket...super. I walked around town, again wrote Michelle, and then went back to my room where I took a nap. Around dusk, I walked the local streets and markets around my hotel. In the falling light, everything seemed more peaceful and I began finally to enjoy my own company and my surroundings. I had yet to see one non-Indian tourist, and had thus been unable to communicate with anyone. That night, from the hotel I contacted another the Hotel Aparupa where I was able to make reservations for the next two nights. Finally some success in at least one of my endevors. This morning I made my way to the Hotel Aparupa (check out time was 7am!). The facility was much nicer - new rooms, nice location and central AC!! I had breakfast and took a walk, exchanging hello's with some of the local children. Today I have run into an old French man travelling alone and a Swedish family who had just arrived, I exchanged pleasant little conversations, but have little in common with either party. I tried unsuccesfully to make a reservation on Little Andaman. At this point, the hotel manager came upstairs and made many phone calls on my behalf, finally making reservations at the only operating facility on Little Andaman...his help has been invaluable. Apparently, none of the hotels have reopened operations since the tsunami, but he was able to get me a bed and toilet at a guest house with a partially standing structure. Amenities will be very sparse...acutally non-existent he warned me. There is an open market where I will be able to get food...ugh, the food is another topic I won't get into right now. So, in two days I will depart for Little Andaman where I will stay until the 25th or 26th. The surfing is not out of operation and I am interested to see what the conditions are...but I have learned not to raise any expectations for anything too high. It is likely that there is no internet access on the island, thus puting me out of touch for the next several weeks. Mom and Dad, if you do not hear from me by February 1st you may begin to worry. you'd think being alone gets more difficult as time wears, but it is actually the other way around. It is getting easier everyday. Morning and night, just before and after sleep, are the most difficult times. I once sort of envied the world traveller who spent his/her life from one destination to the next, but that envy has quickly turned to pity. Although this is a wonderful and important experience, I feel bad for those who wander aimlessly their whole lives for they have no true home. This experience is showing me the importance and the beauty of having a place to call home. It is a persons roots and loved ones that fulfill the essential well-being of life, and having those connections is what allows experiences like this to be so great...even if the greatness of such an experience is at times difficult to grasp. Home, I do not believe, necessarily has to be any one place in particular, but can be in a person. As they say, "home is where the heart is," and my heart is with Michelle. I think of her constantly and more than anything this trip is teaching me the great depths of our love. Since leaving, I have continuously scorned myself for leaving when I could be spending time with my lover. But it is being away that is teaching me the true meanings of our love. I hope that this message finds everyone happy and in good health. Take care...I will write again whenvever it is possible for me to do so. -Sam